On June 8, Alaska's chief elections official initiated a formal review of a U.S. Senate candidate who shares the same name as the state's Republican incumbent. Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom, a Republican who oversees elections in the state, said the probe will determine whether Daniel James Sullivan Jr. - who lists himself as "Dan Sullivan" on his campaign website - may lawfully be included on the August 18 primary ballot.
In a written notice to the challenger, Dahlstrom said state authorities had received credible claims that the May 29 filing by Daniel James Sullivan Jr. was coordinated with another campaign to exploit the identical first and last name and the fact that both men belong to the same political party. The letter asserted allegations that Sullivan intended to "confuse or deceive" voters seeking to reelect Senator Dan Sullivan into casting ballots for the challenger by mistake.
Dahlstrom wrote that, if the allegations are accurate, such conduct would "amount to not only deception of voters but diminish the rights of another candidate." The lieutenant governor asked the challenger to provide a sworn affidavit by Wednesday addressing several specific points.
The affidavit request asks whether Sullivan had prior ties to the Republican Party, which versions of his name he used on earlier voter registrations, and whether he intentionally copied or echoed the senator's website and logo in his own materials. The letter also sought information about interactions with a consultant, any other Senate candidate, or any Democratic Party representative concerning his candidacy.
In addition, Dahlstrom asked whether the challenger would accept appearing on the ballot with the label "Sullivan, Daniel James Jr. (non-incumbent)." The lieutenant governor's office did not provide further comment in the notice beyond the scope of the inquiry.
The challenger, identified on his campaign site as an unelected individual who previously worked for the U.S. Forest Service and as an elementary school teacher, filed to run on May 29 with a stated goal of unseating Senator Sullivan and to "put Alaska first," according to his campaign website. That site also displayed the phrase "Dan Sullivan Challenges Dan Sullivan for U.S. Senate Seat."
Neither the challenger’s campaign nor Senator Sullivan’s campaign immediately responded to requests for comment on the investigation. The lieutenant governor’s actions set a timeline for the challenger to answer the allegations and for election officials to assess whether the candidate’s name or conduct could improperly influence voter choice ahead of the August primary.
Context and next steps
The state will review the sworn responses and any supporting material supplied by the challenger to determine whether the filing violated election rules or statutes related to candidate conduct. The outcome of the inquiry will inform whether Daniel James Sullivan Jr. will be permitted to appear on the August 18 primary ballot under the name he has used on his campaign site, or whether election officials will require a distinguishing label such as "non-incumbent."